Gerontious

Well yes, they seem super handy from Worthing. But I would rather do the miles in this country and have the shortest hop possible over there. At that time of year. Any other time it wouldn't matter.

Get the ferry to Hoek. I wouldn't want to be riding from the channel ports at that time of year. And hope its not snowing. Ensure my phone is full charged and I have good roadside rescue arranged. Aside from that I wouldn't need much. my jacket and trousers are more than up to the task. I would be wearing thermal long johns and long sleeved thermal top. plus a wool sweater. woolen socks. nothing more than I would wear for a long trip in this country in jan/Feb. (and once again - hope its not going to be snowing - if it is then I would have a plan B.

Go straight for A2. nothing wrong with them, we had a young lad come to Germany with us a few years ago. he had only just passed his A2 and came with us on a CB500R.(I believe) and there was no way you would have known it was restricted. No problems on the motorways through France and Belgium and no issues whatsoever for the 5 days we were there. The only reason to go for a 125 is money. but, do bear in mind you will need to keep it for a full year at least so that when you do move up, you will have that years worth of No Claims, which will have a significant effect on the insurance for your next bike. If you get a 125 and then get fed up with it within the first year and decide to go for the A2. it will cost you a hell of a lot more than just going for the A2 now.. or as soon as you can. 125. plus insurance. then new bike plus new insurance. it will add up. so think carefully.

I agree. I'm already counting down. only 40 days until the Cadbury cream eggs appear in the shops. (and we all know what that means)

Back in the 1990s there was a magazine I used to buy at the time called Motorcycle International. And one issue had a HD special which I must admit caught my eye and was up to that point the only HD based bike that I ever thought: "I would buy that." This when the Cafe racer style was being introduced. or reintroduced by Triumph most obviously with its Speed Triple 900 (I owned one a year or two later): Sadly, only 20 were ever made in 1994. It was called the HDS1200 and was built by the grandson of the founder of Velocette. Reynolds 531 tube bronze welded frame and swingarm Full floater cast iron Brembo brakes Goodman designed magnesium wheels, built by Techno Magnesia Marzocci front forks, independently adjustable compression and rebound damping

I wonder why you are even looking at other bikes when you have only had the Honda for 5 minutes. are you dissatisfied with it already? What we do isn't really a'tour' - its a riding holiday. spending 5 days doing what most of us can't do due to work etc. riding for pleasure for 5 solid days.

I have the 1000cc version and the 21" front wheel didn't bother me in the slightest. I could very easily have changed wheel size at the time I swapped the original wheels for tubeless. But, I didn't see the point... actually the only point in its favour was widening the choice of tyres. 19" are far more common than 21". As with every new bike - you adjust. your riding style might change a little and you may not even be aware of this change - it can be completely unconscious. The only time I think about the size of my front wheel is when its time to replace the rubber. If you do go down the 'touring' bike route then you might be interested in our week in Germany next September. Always great fun. Though to be fair having a 'touring' focussed bike is not necessary. just strap a bag to the rear seat with a few changes of clothing and you're done.

Make the most of it. good practice for your off roading fantasies.

I don't worry. I have a very clever and cunning plan. Its a bit complicated though - so pay attention. Step 1 - I take off the jacket and hang it on the hook next to my front door. Step 2 - I take off the trousers and hang them on the hook next to the above mentioned hook next to my front door. After all this in depth problem solving. Im apt to make a cuppa and cut off a generous slice of battenburg.

Motorists on the M4 are being urged to watch their speed as South Wales Police trial a new speed camera on the bridge between Junctions 35 and 34 near Pencoed this week.

im sure you’re right. It’s always easy to justify what has cost you the best part of £20,000. Rare to see this viewed as a big mistake. Though I do admire people who are brave enough to admit such a thing. I knew the limitations before buying - mostly the wheels had to go. For me the overriding limitation of the newer bike is its low seat height. It could be the best thing since sliced bread - but if it’s too low and uncomfortable to ride - by design, then nothing you or anyone might say will make it an appropriate choice for me. I wanted to like it. But that single factor removed it from my wish list at a stroke. Just by sitting on it. But of course Honda had to do it. They were very soon made aware that the 1000 Adventure Sports was too tall and inappropriate for a sizeable number of potential buyers and so it only lasted 2 years before the redesign. I’ll stick with what I have. It’s unlikely I’ll be buying another bike, another petrol bike.

The 1100 screen has been plagued with problems, though as with anything - most people have had no problems at all. problems tend to be inflated by the internet. (who knew?) The 1100 never interested me and for precisely the reasons it excited so many people when announced. right for them. wrong for me. to be honest I was never going to be very excited by a new model where the CC only increased by 86cc and was lowered in height. with an almost £6000 price hike. Mine was a very decent upgrade on my previous Boxer 1100 though. more power and more torque from a smaller engine and a 300+ mile tank range from the same 24L capacity. up from 240. Plus.. the DCT. (obviously) so.. back in 2018 reducing engine size resulted in more power. not that I use it, I tend to stick to max torque in the range rather than go balls out for max power. The BMW was described in its day as a torque monster. progress has lead to a parallel twin thats more powerful from less cc and more torquey than my old Boxer. And it has that DCT transmission. clickety click. rather than the occasional. crash bang crunch. I definitely do not miss the BMW gear box.

Yes.. the exhaust side is identical at the top and a little narrower at the bottom. so from above you get a more balanced look. And also.. the panniers are held closer to the bike - unlike some panniers that seem to stick out a stupid amount with the exhaust side being narrower and looking very unbalanced. soft panniers.. but the effect is the same (with some other brands)

@Steve_M there were 3 sizes. call them small medium and large. I went for the medium as they are a total of just 1" wider than the mirrors. 1/2" either side. this makes filtering a tad less stressful and thats important to me. if the mirrors will fit through a gap then I don't really need to worry about the panniers. except in very rare circumstances. 40/36L there is also a 35/31 and 45/41 one minor point in their favour.. unlike some pannier frames. no 'surgery' was required. ie with some frames holes need to be drilled though plastic. usually behind the rear brake light. not always.. but sometimes. you need to look at the fitting instructions before you commit to any particular brand. if you don't want that kind of a hassle.

The Senotaff will be safe this weekend!!

You've done well. just 25 weeks to the day since your first post where you said. and now this. Congratulations.

I’ve always used the optimate. But only ever as a charger. I’ve never seen the point of keeping it constantly connected. Now using a lithium charger as that’s the battery type my bike has. If yours is lithium you must use the correct charger type. A standard charger will destroy a lithium battery. Bought one, but not needed to use it yet aside from testing it worked.

The wheels were an extravagance. but, when I bought the bike something unexpected happened. I got a loan for the full amount and then on the day they reduced the price - significantly. (this was in November) At the time there were 3 options. SM-Pro. which have the bartubeless treatment. essentially a solid rubber band is bonded to the inside of the wheel and fully covers the spoke ends. Or Alpina, which relies on Orings to seal the spokes. Or Kineo. I had the cash for the first two and really ummed and aahed. then just went for the Kineo - this was over Christmas so I was doing a shedload of overtime and ordered them in January. they arrived after a 9 week wait. The rims are solid and the spokes are held on the inner track of the wheel. I knew about them, mostly because they had been an order upgrade for some MV-Agusta specials. and other Special builds/customs. Once again black everything to make cleaning a breeze. I thought the black exhaust would look alright, it has an outer ceramic coating so it doesn't take much effort at all to keep it looking good. a wipe and done. Im quite lazy about cleaning to be honest. Again I was lucky and had a 20% eBay voucher and used it. I really wanted the Termignoni, but couldn't justify that kind of money for what was really just an aesthetic change. Changing just for looks rather than any kind of performance benefit.

How to ruin any potential buyers day, in Italy. Park absolutely any triumph next to it. Age and condition is unimportant. Then stand back and watch the fans arrive, crowd around the trumpet and completely ignore the Panigale!!

You can buy stick-on blind spot mirrors that go on your.. err.. mirrors. few quid the pair from Ebay. just get into the hang of using them. alternatively at a standstill work out exactly where your blind spot is.. and see if you can see it. it could be that you are overdoing it. maybe.

Oh. I could only read so far… I got distracted when a chair was thrown at me. Followed by a sock. (And I’m not sure which was worse) fixed.

Same as ever. Still got the Africa Twin DCT. Which is now paid for. Go away on it twice a year. Same old stuff.

Oddly enough I was only thinking about you the other day and wondering how you were getting on. been a long time.